1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to launched projectiles and, more particularly, to correcting the flight path of a fin-stabilized projectile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern warfare is based on mission speed, high per round lethality, and low possibility of collateral damage. Achieving these objectives requires high precision. Unguided artillery shells follow a ballistic trajectory, which is generally predictable but practically results in larger misses at longer ranges due to variations in atmospheric conditions including wind speed and direction, temperature and precipitation, and variations in the weapons system including manufacturing tolerances, barrel condition, propellant charge temperature, and gun laying errors. As the ballistic range increases, the potential impact of the projectile variation grows until the projectile delivered lethality is too low or the risk of collateral damage is too high to effectively execute the fire mission.
Precision in such weapons traditionally comes at a high cost. The missile community has developed and matured means to alter the trajectory of a missile in flight. These conventional methods generally involve relatively sophisticated mechanisms, resulting in costly solutions. Mechanically, these systems are not compatible with spin-stabilized flight vehicles, where spin rates are at least an order of magnitude higher and launch accelerations are several orders of magnitude higher. Cost breakdowns for current precision munitions indicate that the actuator system is a cost driver for the munition.